Supreme Court of India Judgements

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Category: Acquittal

Acquittal

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 374(2) — Appeals against conviction — High Court’s power to acquit — High Court, after considering evidence and finding patent infirmities and insufficiency of evidence in the prosecution case, rightly acquitted the accused giving them the benefit of doubt.- Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 65-B — Electronic records — Call detail records — Non-production of certificate under Section 65-B along with call detail records renders them inadmissible — Handwritten notes of call details without examining the scribe are not proved according to law.

Oct 2, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1166 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STATE OF RAJASTHAN Vs. BHANWAR SINGH ETC. ETC ( Before : Sandeep Mehta and Joymalya Bagchi, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No(s).…

Acquittal

Penal Code, 1860 — Sections 302, 364, and 201 — Conviction for murder, kidnapping, and causing disappearance of evidence — Circumstantial evidence — “Last seen” theory — Prosecution failed to prove essential elements of the crime — Witnesses turned hostile and could not identify the accused or prove the alleged kidnapping — Evidence did not establish that the deceased was last seen with the accused

Sep 21, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1124 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THAMMINENI BHASKAR Vs. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH ( Before : Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B. Varale, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…

Acquittal

Penal Code, 1860 — Sections 302, 34, 120B — Murder — Appeal against conviction and sentence for murder — Key eyewitness evidence of the deceased’s son and wife — Distance allegedly covered on bicycle within thirty minutes questioned — Improbability of covering 16 kilometers in that timeframe raised substantial doubt about their presence at the crime scene — Absence of corroboration from other witnesses, who turned hostile and suggested multiple assailants, further weakens the prosecution’s case — Post-mortem report indicating numerous injuries, consistent with multiple attackers — Deceased’s history as a habitual drunkard and criminal suggests potential enmity with various individuals — Conviction based solely on questionable eyewitness testimony not sustainable when reasonable doubt exists about accused’s presence and involvement — Appeal allowed, conviction and sentence set aside

Jul 29, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 880 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH ESAKKIMUTHU AND OTHERS Vs. STATE REPRESENTED BY THE INSPECTOR OF POLICE ( Before : Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. )…

Acquittal

Hostile witnesses — Effect — When a large number of witnesses, including eyewitnesses, turn hostile, prosecution case often collapses for want of evidence — While reasons for hostility can be varied (coercion, fear, monetary consideration, etc.), it cannot automatically lead to conviction based on prior S. 161 statements or IO’s testimony about such statements, as these are not substantive evidence — Court’s consternation at collapse of a serious case due to witness hostility cannot be a reason to convict on insufficient or inadmissible evidence, amounting to a moral conviction anathema to criminal jurisprudence.

May 13, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 657 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RENUKA PRASAD Vs. THE STATE REPRESENTED BY ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE ( Before : Sudhanshu Dhulia and K. Vinod Chandran, JJ.…

Acquittal Corruption

Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 — Sections 7, 13(1)(d) r/w S. 13(2) a— Illegal gratification — Demand and Acceptance — Proof beyond reasonable doubt — Where prosecution case regarding demand and acceptance of bribe by public servant (Revenue Inspector) suffered from material contradictions and inconsistencies in evidence of complainant (PW1) and other prosecution witnesses (PW7) Minor discrepancies may not be fatal, but serious contradictions going to root of matter, rendering evidence untrustworthy, are grounds for acquittal.

May 13, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 655 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH PARITALA SUDHAKAR Vs. STATE OF TELANGANA ( Before : Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No…..of 2025 [@…

Acquittal

Supreme Court sets aside the High Court’s conviction of six individuals for rioting and related offences, restoring their acquittal, as their mere presence at the crime scene amidst a large crowd was insufficient to prove membership in an unlawful assembly without evidence of specific roles or overt acts.

Mar 23, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 381 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH DHIRUBHAI BHAILALBHAI CHAUHAN AND ANOTHER Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT AND OTHERS ( Before : Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Manoj Misra, JJ.…

Acquittal

The Supreme Court found the prosecution failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, citing inconsistencies in recovery witness testimonies, discrepancies in the recovery process, and lack of corroboration for the “last seen” testimony — The Court emphasized that recovery memos prepared at the police station lacked sanctity — Granting the benefit of the doubt, the Court acquitted the Appellant, set aside the convictions, and ordered his release.

Feb 9, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 167 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RAJA KHAN Vs. STATE OF CHATTISGARH ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Manmohan, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No. 70 of 2025…

Acquittal

Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 27 — Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 384, 364, 302 and 201 — Murder — Circumstantial Evidence — The Supreme Court acquitted the appellant of murder charges as the prosecution failed to prove the crucial link of the accused’s disclosure leading to the discovery of skeletal remains under Section 27 and the DNA evidence was also found to be inconclusive due to lack of proper collection of samples. – Proof of Disclosure Statements under Section 27 — Voluntariness and Uninfluenced Nature — The Court reiterates that the information provided by an accused under Section 27 must be voluntary and uninfluenced by threat, duress, or coercion.

Dec 8, 2024 sclaw

2024 INSC 923 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH WADLA BHEEMARAIDU — Appellant Vs. STATE OF TELANGANA — Respondent ( Before : Dipankar Datta and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. ) Criminal…

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Cr P C

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 197(1) — Requirement of sanction for prosecution of public servants — Protection under Section 197(1) applies only to public servants who are not removable from office except by or with the sanction of the government — Subordinate police officers not falling under this category are not entitled to the benefit of this protection, even if the alleged offence was committed while acting or purporting to act in the discharge of official duty.

Apr 5, 2026 sclaw
Service

Service Law — Dismissal from Service — Disciplinary Proceedings — Violation of Natural Justice — Requirement of Oral Enquiry — Employer’s Burden of Proof — The Apex Court held that unless the charged employee clearly admits guilt, a disciplinary enquiry must be held — The employer must first present evidence and witnesses, allowing the employee to cross-examine — Only then should the employee be given an opportunity to present their defense — The Court emphasized that relying solely on documents without examining witnesses or making them available for cross-examination when charges are denied, vitiates the enquiry.

Apr 5, 2026 sclaw
C P C

Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC) — Order 9 Rule 13 — Setting aside an ex parte decree — A minor who was not properly represented in succession proceedings, despite being a legal heir and known to respondents, can file an application under Order 9 Rule 13 CPC after attaining majority to challenge the ex parte proceedings.

Apr 5, 2026 sclaw
Bail Declined Companies Act

Companies Act, 2013 — Section 185 — Loan to directors — Violation of Section 185 — Loan from company to director for securing bail without special resolution — Deposit of Rs. 50 Crores for bail sourced from company funds without proper approval — Held to be not sustainable in law.

Apr 3, 2026 sclaw